Endless-floor horse-power for driving machinery



III

rar ortica..

JEREMIAH M. REED, OF MIDDLEFIELD, NEW YORK.

ENDLESS-FLOR HORSE-POWER FOR DRIVING MACHINERY.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH M. REED, of Middlefield, in the county ofOtsego and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementon Inclined Endless Flexible Animal Tread-Powers; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,reference being had to the annexed drawings of the same, making part ofthis specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a view of thet-op of the machine. Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of two of thecars to which the links are attached.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the figures.

The nature of my invention consists in connecting together by means ofhooks and links or links and eyes a train of four wheel cars into anendless train, which is placed in an endless space a little wider thanthe diameter of the car wheels inclosed by four endless tracks which Ishall designate as the quadruple endless vertical railway, and endlesstrain of rail road cars to be propelled by animals or any other requiredpower to propel the sameplaced upon said endless train.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct a frame A of suitable size and strength, of wood or ironcontaining four parallel endless tracks B about eight feet eight inchesin length, the two inner ones being placed about eight inches apart, theends of which tracks are connected by semicircles C. The two outertracks B2 are placed four and an eighth of an inch distant from theinner tracks B connected at each end in the same manner as the innertracks. The frame being composed of like parts on each side leaves anoblong groove or space within the tracks B of an inch in depth by fourand an eighth of an inch wide that admits of the wheels of the carspassing around in said grooves or spacethe bodies of the cars beingfourteen inches wide and sixteen inches long with a cavity D in themiddle six by eight inches with an eye E at each end of the square toreceive a link F that couples the cars together; the eye must be on aline transversely with the axis of the car wheels which will admit thecars dropping to a level 0n the planes of the tracks and possessing apliability that will allow the cars to be propelled around the curvedends of the railway or tracks B. On the under side of the cars Gr and ateach side thereof I aifix a rack H fitted to the pinions of the bandwheel shaft I which pinions are placed on a shaft lying across the framebetween the planes of the inner tracks or rails; these pinions are sixinches in diameter which give a band wheel W of four feet a quick andpowerful motion. The wheels K of these cars are four inches in diameter,one inch thick on their tread with a ledge or flange projecting threefourths of an inch above the tread of the wheels. These wheels areplaced on axles one fourth of the length of the cars from each cornerand in a straight line and level with the eyes of the connecting links.I raise the upper surface of the cars on their sides one inch slopingthe said projection inward so as to form a groove to receive the woodfloor, the side left open being for the purpose of inserting the saidwood floor. I proceed to connect the cars together passing them into thespaces between the endless tracks by means of an opening at one end orin any other convenient way-the wheels of the cars keeping their placesin every position on and in the tracks by means of the aforesaidquadruple rail road. The cars are composed wholly of cast and wroughtiron except the floor. The whole to be governed in its dimensions asshall best suit the wishes of the builder, and answer the purpose forwhich it is intended. rIhe rack together with the frame and legs to givethe power a proper inclination I build in any of the usual modes ofconstructing them.

The operation of this horse power is as follows: The machine beingplaced at a proper angle of inclination with the horizon, and thepropelling animal placed thereon isv caused to movehis limbs and hisfeet being in contact with the woodwork or floor of the cars, his shoesare not so liable to be injured, nor is the work near so hard toperform, nor so distressing to the animal as in the use of the commoncast iron floor. The cars are caused t0 travel around in the endless waybetween the outer and inner track and upon the inner surface of thelower part of the outer track and the rack of the cars being in gearwith the pinions on the axle of the band Wheel W to turn from which thepower may be conveyed to any machinery required to be propelled.

Vhat I claim as my invention and which` 5 I desire to secure by LettersPatent is- The making the endless chain upon which the horse, &c., Walksby uniting together in the manner described a suficient number of

